Coláiste Iognáid Galway: First Year admissions for 2027–28

Coláiste Iognáid, often called the Jes, is a co-educational Jesuit secondary school on Sea Road in Galway. The current policy describes it as Catholic and non-fee-paying under the trusteeship of the Society of Jesus.

It is not St Joseph’s Patrician College, known as the Bish. That is an all-boys Catholic school on Nun’s Island.

Who it may suit

The Jes may suit families seeking a co-educational day school with an explicitly Ignatian ethos. The school says it has nearly 630 pupils and a strong tradition in Irish.

Its admissions policy also refers to an Irish-language class. Families should ask how that class is organised now, which subjects use Irish and whether a separate assessment or application step applies.

The policy expects participation in the school’s religious and spiritual life. A parent who wants a child excused from religious education may make a written request to the principal, followed by a meeting.

Curriculum and school structure

The school offers the Junior Cycle, Transition Year and Leaving Certificate. Its Transition Year page says TY is compulsory for all students.

The annual notice also includes a special class for pupils with an autism diagnosis. It lists one new place for 2027–28. That is an intake number, not the total size of the school’s provision.

First Year admissions for 2027–28

The annual notice gives this timetable for both mainstream First Year and the autism class:

1. Applications open on 1 October 2026.
2. Applications close on 22 October 2026.
3. Decisions are issued by 12 November 2026.
4. An offer must be accepted within 14 days of receipt.

The notice lists 104 mainstream First Year places and one special-class place. A late application is considered only after on-time applications have been processed.

The previous cycle shows how competitive entry can be. For 2025–26, the school recorded 518 applications for 104 places and 412 names on the waiting list.

Treat those numbers as historical evidence of demand, not a forecast of an individual result. An applicant’s category and the random-selection process still matter.

How oversubscription works

The latest policy linked by the school was reviewed in February 2023. It applies these categories in order:

1. Siblings of current pupils.
2. Siblings of qualifying former pupils.
3. Children of eligible permanent staff and specified relatives of Jesuits.
4. Children of qualifying former pupils, subject to the 25% cap in the policy.
5. Eligible pupils from Scoil Iognáid, subject to the stated attendance conditions and a maximum of 67 within categories one to five.
6. All remaining eligible applicants.

The Scoil Iognáid category does not create an automatic right to a place. Where random selection is needed, siblings such as twins or triplets are entered as one unit and the draw is independently witnessed.

Academic ability is not considered for ordinary admission. The policy allows assessment only where it is relevant to the autism class or an Irish-language class.

Fees and practical costs

The school is non-fee-paying. Its policy also says the board will not require fees or contributions as a condition of applying, admission or continued enrolment.

That does not mean every practical item is free. Ask for a current list covering uniform, trips, activities, devices and any Transition Year charges.

Friendly orientation, not an application. Dates, fees, and programme details move. Confirm everything with the school.